


He held her for what felt like decades.

by peachb0mber



Category: MCSM, Minecraft Story Mode
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-05
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-12 11:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7101064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachb0mber/pseuds/peachb0mber
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt list <a href="http://theprincessjessi.tumblr.com/post/136267579521/the-drabble-game">here</a>.</p><p>Original fic post <a href="http://theprincessjessi.tumblr.com/post/136716305836/can-you-do-a-lukesse-one-with-52-and-53-also-if">here</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He held her for what felt like decades.

Sleep doesn’t come easily for Jesse these days.

Nine times out of ten, she’s plagued with nightmares of varying levels of horror. They’re about the Wither Storm, about Reuben, about Ellegaard. Usually after one, she’ll wake up, take a moment to shake it off, and then try to sleep again. Usually after one, there are no more that night.

Today, she’s staying the night with Lukas. They spend the day swapping ideas for new builds, Jesse takes a few hours to teach Lukas how to swordfight, and they even visit the other three Ocelots. They pick on Jesse as usual, but it’s with an air of familiarity that she never thought she would have with them. Aiden even ruffles her hair when she arrives. Jesse tells him off for it with fake anger, and he just laughs. None of them say so, but Jesse can tell they appreciate her keeping Lukas safe and allowing him to come find them.

Several hours pass with the Ocelots before Jesse and Lukas excuse themselves to head home before the sun goes completely down. They chatter about everything and anything the whole way back. Jesse didn’t realize how badly she needed a good distraction until she’s swinging her and Lukas’s intertwined hands back and forth as they walk.

“Thanks for letting me spend the night, Lukas,” Jesse says as Lukas holds open the door of his house for her.

“You’re welcome any time, you know that,” he replies, watching her stretch out on the couch. “I imagine it’s easier for you to sleep with someone else nearby.”

His lack of subtlety hasn’t changed, she notes with a small frown. She shrugs, mumbling something, and pulls the blanket from the back of the couch to wrap herself in. A yawn escapes her as she snuggles deeper into the couch.

“Going to bed already?” Lukas asks.

Jesse nods slightly, head against the arm and eyes already closed.

“You’re not even wearing pajamas.”

Jesse grunts a response and rolls over.

“You can have the bed, Jesse. I can guarantee it’s more comfortable than the couch.”

“M’good here,” Jesse replies. Already half asleep, she doesn’t even want to think about moving. Falling asleep without nasty thoughts swirling through her brain is a rare treat.

Lukas shrugs, palms towards the ceiling. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The room goes silent minus the sound of footsteps around the room. Lukas’s boots drop onto the floor next to the door, followed by Jesse’s shoes that she left in front of the couch. Lukas shuffles out of his jacket and hangs it up neatly on the rack. The soft click of redstone lamps indicates that the sun has officially gone down. The house is at peace and Jesse is quickly taken by sleep.

_Everything is dark. Jesse wanders, lost and freezing. She calls for help, but her voice is swallowed by the blackness, undulating and strangely familiar. Something makes a noise behind her, a deep, rumbling growl, and she spins around. A purple beam of light traps her, scream stuck in her throat._

Jesse jerks in her sleep.

_Golden light shines, so bright that she raises a hand to cover her eyes from the sudden intrusion. When her eyes adjust, she’s standing behind a woman with chestnut colored hair. Her back is to Jesse, observing the crafting tables set up in a cross formation on the wall._

_Jesse reaches out a hand. “Ell-?”_

_Ellegaard turns. Her eyes are white, void of emotion, and her face is bruised and bloody. Jesse recoils in horror, clutching her hands to her chest. Tears spring to her eyes._

_“I was wrong to believe in you,” says Ellegaard in a cold voice. Her expression is pained._

_Jesse’s heart sinks. “No, Ellegaard, I didn’t-”_

_“You killed me. I never should have given you my armor. This is your fault.”_

_Another Ellegaard appears beside the first. “Your fault.”_

_Two more spawn on either side. “You did this.”_

_Jesse’s surrounded by copies of Ellegaard, all hissing harsh, unforgiving words. She falls to her knees, arms wrapped around her stomach._

Jesse whimpers, kicking at the blankets. An incoherent protest leaves her lips.

_It’s a beautiful day. The sky is clear of clouds, sun shining warmly down on the Earth. Jesse hears her friends yelling in the distance, and her hopes rise._

_A giant, heavy object crashes down beside her. It’s black and purple and she shrieks at the abrupt impact, scrambling away from it. Her stomach twists at the sight of the chunk of the Wither Storm. She knows what happens next, but nothing will allow her to get away. She cannot wake up until the dream plays out._

_She moves involuntarily to a spot by the river bank, skin prickles uncomfortably. Over the ridge, something pink lies unmoving on the ground. Her vision fills with tears, obscuring Reuben. Not even the blood pounding in her ears can muffle his cries of pain, of loneliness. She can’t move, no matter how desperately she wants to be with him in his final moments, and it tears at her insides._

Jesse screams Reuben’s name, bolting straight up out of her blanket cocoon, cheeks wet with tears. Her head falls into her hands and she sobs brokenly.

A bleary-eyed Lukas comes rushing out of his room, stone axe in hand and sliding across the floor in his socks. “Jesse?! What’s going on?” He leans the axe against the doorframe, no intruder to be seen, and circles around the couch to kneel in front of Jesse. Her hair covers her face, shoulders shaking, and she doesn’t seem to notice he’s there.

“Jesse…?” A gentle shoulder touch draws her attention to him, a heartbroken expression on her face. She cries his name and reaches out for him, hands grasping his shoulders as she struggles to find words.

He shushes her soothingly, gathering her in his arms and climbing onto the couch before settling her in his lap. The blanket is repositioned to cover the both of them. Jesse’s heaving sobs have drifted into whines and tears and the occasional hiccup.

Neither of them speak for a long time. Lukas rubs Jesse’s back, twists a strand of her hair around his finger, anything to keep a reassuring hand on her. He holds her for what feels like decades before she’s able to explain the nightmares, and he listens attentively the entire time. Whenever she stops, overwhelmed, he resumes displaying his affections by kissing her forehead or whispering comforting words.

By the time she’s done, it feels as if a weight has been lifted off her chest. Her head lolls against Lukas’s chest, exhaustion catching up to her all at once. She wants to stay awake, fear panging in her heart at the thought of more nightmares, but Lukas is so warm and comfortable that she can’t keep her eyes open.

“Thank you…Lukas…” she mumbles before falling back into dreamland.

He kisses the top of her head. “Anything for you.”


End file.
